BYD’s Asia Pacific sales boss says Australia’s electric-vehicle growth is becoming part of the market’s normal direction, as fuel-price spikes and fuel-supply uncertainty push more buyers toward EVs, PHEVs and other electrified powertrains.

Liu Xueliang, General Manager, BYD Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division, told Australian media at a tour of the BYD Zhengzhou car carrier in Melbourne, that the lift in EV demand should be viewed as a “new normal” and a “new wave”.

Asked whether the current rise in EV sales was temporary, Mr Liu said higher fuel prices were prompting more buyers to consider electric cars, visit showrooms and test drive them.

“It is a new normal,” Mr Liu said.

“It is a new wave.”

Mr Liu said buyers who experience EVs during the shopping process can more clearly compare them with petrol vehicles.

“It must be a rising trend,” he said.

The wider market context has also shifted, with the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz contributing to large fuel-price spikes and uncertainty over fuel supply.
That has made running costs and reliance on petrol and diesel a bigger consideration for shoppers looking at EVs, plug-in hybrids and other electrified vehicles.

The comments come as Australia’s EV market posts a sharp increase, with battery-electric vehicles accounting for 16.4 per cent of new-vehicle sales in April 2026.

BYD ranked second in the monthly brand standings behind Toyota, underlining the pace of its recent growth in Australia.

April sales underline the shift

Across VFACTS and Electric Vehicle Council reporting, 94,049 new vehicles were sold in April 2026, up 3.0 per cent on April 2025.

Toyota remained Australia’s top-selling brand with 15,185 sales, while BYD placed second with 7702 sales.

The Toyota RAV4 led the model chart with 3729 sales, ahead of the Ford Ranger on 3661 and Toyota HiLux on 2835.

The BYD Sealion 7 was the highest-ranked battery-electric model in the April chart, recording 1780 sales.

The 16.4 per cent EV share is a fuel-type measure across the market, rather than a simple addition of EV-specialist brands.

A narrower brand-only count of identifiable electric-vehicle deliveries captures 3484 vehicles, including 1458 Tesla deliveries reported through the Electric Vehicle Council.

For BYD, Mr Liu pointed to the brand’s vertically integrated structure as one advantage, but not the only factor in its local growth plans.

He said the company’s approach covered logistics, supply chains, sales and marketing, rather than only vehicle technology.

On shipping, Mr Liu said BYD-owned vessel visits to Australia would not necessarily be regular, but would happen “on occasions” when demand and customer requirements supported them.

He also said BYD has no plan to bring the Dolphin G to Australia, with another model aimed at Australian customers to be outlined later in the year.

Mr Liu’s comments position BYD as expecting continued EV growth in Australia, at a time when electrified vehicles are gaining share and fuel-price volatility is adding pressure to petrol and diesel demand.